Current medical research and opinion
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Case Reports Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
A controlled study of benzydamine oral rinse ("Difflam") in general practice.
Fifty-two patients suffering from presumed viral pharyngeal infection or tonsillitis were treated with either benzydamine or placebo oral rinse as a gargle at 3-hourly intervals in a randomized double-blind study. Patients on the active preparation experienced faster resolution of pain and dysphagia and at 7 days 88% were symptom-free compared with 38% on placebo.
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A retrospective analysis was performed of 405 patients, over the age of 65 years, who had been admitted with proven myocardial infarction to a coronary care unit, to investigate the relationship between the serum potassium level on admission and the incidence of cardiac arrhythmias. On admission, 173 (42.7%) patients had a serum potassium of less than 4.0 mmol/l. During the first 24 hours in hospital, 57% of all patients exhibited a disturbance of cardiac rhythm. ⋯ The difference in incidence of this arrhythmia was highly significant (p less than 0.001). No patient who experienced ventricular fibrillation was on existing cardiac medication with either a diuretic, beta-adrenoreceptor blocking drug or digoxin. There was no significant difference in the occurrence of other cardiac arrhythmias between low and normal serum potassium groups.
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Comparative Study Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical Trial
An open comparative trial of three doses of ciramadol used intravenously in renal colic.
In an open investigation, ciramadol, a partial agonist opioid, was found to be a potent analgesic when given intravenously in patients experiencing renal colic. Single intravenous doses of 20, 30 and 40 mg of ciramadol were given to 11, 11 and 12 patients with renal colic, respectively, and good pain relief was obtained in 10, 11 and 10 patients, respectively. Vomiting and nausea occurred in 9 patients, 4 in the 20 mg group, 2 in the 30 mg group and 3 in the 40 mg group. This adverse effect was related to standing and walking following the ciramadol injection.